Fear, Love, and Fight
by Lethal-chan
Summary: Naruto and Co. come up against one heck of an enemy... will Kakashi's old friend save them?
1. Voices

Warnings: Slash and violence, and language  
  
Disclaimers: Not mine, too bad. Well, Maoko's mine, but that's it.  
  
'Blah' - thought

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Naruto lay on his back in a field, his hands folded under his head as he stared into the sky and grumbled about how boring it all was. Class had been canceled today because Kakashi-sensei had some sort of mysterious guest visiting for some really important reason. Naruto's grumbling grew steadily louder until he was practically yelling about how bored he was.  
"Then find something to do baka. No one really cares how bored you are, and saying it louder just pisses them off and makes you inattentive to your surroundings." Naruto jumped to his feet and spun to glare at the new arrival. Sasuke stood there with his arms crossed and one fine eyebrow arched in silent challenge. Thoroughly pissed and at the same time totally ecstatic, Naruto racked his brain for a quick reply. Usually he had a snappy retort already ready, but he had gotten so lost in ranting, and had not expected Sasuke to show up that he had totally lost track of things.  
  
_You know you're ecstatic to see him. You thought it yourself. You want him, face it_  
  
Naruto froze, his insult forgotten at the sudden mental intrusion. It was definitely not his thought...  
  
!!!!!  
  
Sasuke arched an eyebrow when Naruto's eyes suddenly widened and a stunned look covered the smaller boy's face.  
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, fighting to keep the concern out of his face and voice. He would never admit it, even to himself...  
  
_Oh come -on-, obviously you have something going on for the guy. You have obviously already admitted it to yourself; after all, you know what happens to you whenever you see him. Do the terms 'butterflies in the stomach' and 'heart-pounding' mean anything to you?_   
  
'What in the hell...?!' Sasuke snarled to himself. His face creased in fury spontaneously. He looked up at Naruto, who was now blushing slightly and appeared to be fighting down the embarrassment while arguing with himself.  
"Ahem. You wouldn't have happened to hear anything... strange in your head just then, would you?" Naruto asked him, looking up at him and remaining a faint pink color.  
  
Naruto fretted nervously as he watched Sasuke study him. Under that intense gaze, with a thought like that running through his head was making him very nervous.  
"As a matter of fact, I did. You did as well I take it?" Sasuke said finally. Naruto let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and nodded.  
"What did it say to you?" asked Sasuke, looking around the clearing to ascertain it was just them and no one was playing some bizarre joke on them. Naruto turned bright pink and immediately went on the defensive.  
"You first," he snapped. Sasuke sighed and rested his head on his palm.  
"Never mind then. What do you think it is?"  
  
#####  
  
Obviously the voice had pointed out something embarrassing to Naruto, judging by the way he had reacted. What was more important to Sasuke at the moment was figuring out who had said it though. A person who could talk into another person's head was definitely a strong opponent and an automatic threat. Naruto was silent as his brain went to work.  
"Oh darn it, I was hoping I would get to sit and admire you longer before you figured out it wasn't your own thoughts, that's why I used thoughts that were already floating around in your head," a soft voice said suddenly. Sasuke whipped around and came face to face with a young boy with a mischievous smile and a very long pole arm weapon. A low growl form behind him told him that Naruto was ready and willing to rip the boy's throat out at first chance. Holding an arm out to keep his companion at bay he narrowed his eyes at the boy.  
"Who are you and what do you want?" he snapped coldly, gripping Naruto's sleeve to make sure he stayed put. To his mild surprise, Naruto didn't fight him.  
  
$$$$$  
  
Naruto stared at the small boy and wondered why in the hell he looked so familiar and why alarms were going off in his head. The boy was dressed in head to toe in black and silver, even his weapon was black and silver for crying out loud!  
'Get out of there! Now!' a gruff animalistic voice snapped in his head. This time there was no mystery though. Naruto could recognize the voice of the kitsune that was sealed in him now; it was his equivalent of a conscience.  
'Why?' he asked. The fox was silent though. Naruto studied the boy again and more insistent alarms went off. Naruto gave in and stepped towards Sasuke so he could whisper in the other boy's ear, reluctantly forcing Sasuke's grip off of him.  
  
%%%%%  
  
"We need to get out of here." Naruto whispered suddenly in Sasuke's ear. An involuntary shiver ran up Sasuke's spine when he felt Naruto's warm breath on his ear and neck.  
"Why?" he asked, twisting slightly to face Naruto without taking his eyes off the strange boy.  
"I'll explain it later. I'm telling you right now, we have got to get out of here."  
"Oh, that won't be necessary. I'm afraid neither of you will be leaving alive though. Sorry!" the little boy said cheerily. And he lunged.  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
Hee! First chapter finished! On to the next!  
  
-Lethal-chan (me no ryu tsuki- Eye of the Dragon Moon, my website)


	2. Pieces on the Board

Warnings: Slash; violence  
  
Disclaimers: Naruto, sad to say, is not mine. heavy sigh Too bad...  
  
'Blah' - thought

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Kakashi glared at the board in front of him and tried to find a way out of this mess. He cast an angry glare at his opponent and reluctantly moved a pawn across the board.  
"What brings you out here anyways?" he asked, watching as the wiry red head cast a studious glance over the board and moved a rook, putting him into check again. Kakashi grumbled and sacrificed his remaining bishop, leaving him with three pawns, his king, and a rook.  
"I suppose just saying I felt like it wouldn't suffice..." she said calmly, moving her queen one square and making Kakashi scratch his head.  
"That's because you don't really do things just because you feel like it," Kakashi pointed out, electing to move his rook into a potential blocking position. An evil smile curled across the woman's lips and she moved her rook again.  
"Checkmate," she said calmly, leaning back and folding her arms behind her head. She grinned at him briefly then became serious again.  
"I'm here hunting a demon Kakashi-kun. It's psychic with some very nasty skills with the pole arm weapon it carries. It came through this region a few years ago and was seriously pounded by the local fox demon. This left him weakened enough for me to handle him now; however, he's regaining power with every kill. I've traced him to this region and have thus come to at least try and stop him," she said seriously, picking up her tea and sipping. Suddenly her eyes flew wide and she dropped the cup in her lap. Kakashi felt it too. Both were on their feet and out the door within seconds, only taking the time to collect their weapons before tearing off.  
  
Naruto grunted as he slammed into a tree again and sent another spray of blood around.  
"Naruto?!" Sasuke called in alarm when he slumped. Naruto held up a hand to let him know he was still alive, something he was doing regularly to keep Sasuke calm. Although what difference it made at this point he had no idea, not even Naruto's doppelgangers had made any difference against this kid.  
'Yo Fox, you're help would be really nice right about now,' he growled in his head, biting his lip and forcing himself to his feet again. Dammit, if he was gonna go down then he was either gonna do it fighting or take that little shit with him.  
"DUCK!" Sasuke said suddenly. Naruto did and barely avoided a shuriken aimed at his throat.  
  
&&&&&  
  
Sasuke let out a sigh of relief when Naruto ducked just in time. His whole body ached and he was losing a lot of blood, but for some reason that didn't matter as long as Naruto was ok. Gritting his teeth and pulling out the last of his shuriken he took aim and hoped against hope that he would connect with at least one. To his utter shock, he did.  
"You little..." the boy snarled, holding his side and whipping his attention back to Sasuke. Sasuke matched his cold gaze with one of his own and prepared himself for the worst.  
"That is ENOUGH Yami, you have done more then enough," a cold female voice cut in suddenly. All three faces turned to the source, revealing a tall, thin red-headed woman with flashing violet eyes and utter defiance in her eyes. The boy, Yami, snarled and took a leap backwards.  
"What in the hell are you doing here? I thought I lost you, you stubborn bitch." The woman smirked and was joined by Kakashi, Iruka, and Sakura. Sakura spotted them and made a move towards them, but the woman's hand shot up, blocking her path.  
"Let me get Yami out of the way first. It's too much of a risk to all of you if you just cavort over there," she said calmly. Sasuke sighed and collapsed, his battered legs finally giving in.  
  
Naruto watched Sasuke fall, a brief moment of terror flashing through him. When Sasuke remained sitting though, he relaxed. Gritting his teeth with effort he made his way over to his teammate and collapsed next to him. Sasuke turned his head slightly and bobbed to acknowledge Naruto's presence. Naruto smiled to himself and grimacing, nudged Sasuke.  
"Hey, turn around and sit back-to-back, that way we don't have to worry about our backs and we can stay upright," he said. Sasuke said nothing, just turned.  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
Chapter 2 la fin! Onwards men!! (And women of course... and children... and teens... ah, you get the idea)  
  
-Lethal-chan


	3. Support Posts and Jokes

Warnings: Slash, violence, whatever...  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine!! I swear!!  
  
'Blah' - thought 

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
Kakashi surveyed his students with an intensely worried look as they took to leaning against each other to keep themselves upright. Both boys were a total mess. On neither could you tell where one wound began and another ended.  
"Sakura, you stay out of this. As soon as one of us gives the ok, you head straight for Naruto and Sasuke and see what you can do for them, got it? I don't need all three of my students near death," he said quietly. The pink-headed girl nodded and chewed her lower lip, obviously anxious for her teammates' lives.  
"What do we do Maoko-sensei; you're the one who's dealt with this kid before," he asked the woman next to him. Maoko's fingers drifted over her neck as she kept her gaze locked with Yami's.  
"Iruka-san and Sakura-chan should take care of those two boys. You be my back-up, but stay out of it as much as you can. I can't go for a kill here, but I can get him out of the region," she said. A blur of red and she had engaged Yami. Kakashi nodded and motioned for Iruka and Sakura to move.  
"You heard her. Get those two back to the village as fast as you can," he snapped coolly, leaving no room for argument. Two nods and they tore past him.  
  
!!!!!  
  
Sasuke realized for the first time his vision was hazy. He realized this because the Sakura kneeling in front of him highly resembled a photograph taken at high speed.  
"Just hang on Sasuke-kun..." she breathed to him, hoisting his arm over her shoulder and standing slowly. Sasuke stood on his own feet as best he could but was still leaning heavily on her.  
"Naruto...?" he muttered, his thinking becoming as fuzzy as his sight now that he was out of danger.  
"Iruka-sensei's got him, it's ok," Sakura assured him. Sasuke relaxed and slowly faded into unconsciousness.  
"As long as Dobe-chan's ok..." he muttered to himself, blacking out.  
  
Naruto watched in mild amusement as Sasuke collapsed entirely, making Sakura stagger under the sudden weight.  
"Sakura-chan, trade me, Naruto's still walking on his own for the most part," Iruka said, stepping forward and shrugging Naruto's arm over Sakura and taking Sasuke onto his back. Naruto flashed a grin at Sakura.  
"Sorry about all the blood. I'll pay for the outfit if you want," he said jokingly, hoping to relax her slightly. Not sure if everything was going to be ok, he made it a priority to make sure there was a little humor in things so people wouldn't see how worried he really was.  
  
#####  
  
Sakura sighed and controlled her urge to hit Naruto as hard as she could. How could he joke about something like that at a time like this? Why did he always...oh!  
It struck Sakura like a light of inspiration. Of course! It was a mask to hide what he was feeling! Now why hadn't she thought of that before?  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
Onwards to the next chapter people!!  
  
-Lethal-chan


	4. Words

Warnings: the usual, Slash and violence... swearing has started too...  
  
Disclaimers: I only WISH Naruto and them were mine...  
  
'Blah' - thought 

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
Kakashi watched in impressed/worried silence as Maoko easily kept up with Yami. For a demon he certainly didn't seem that powerful...  
"Don't underestimate me!" snarled Yami, landing next to him and slamming him into the ground. Kakashi blacked out briefly as the demon applied pressure to a point on the back of his head but regained it almost instantly. Unfortunately, Yami had taken him hostage.  
"Well, it's too bad you're so strong Bitch-san, otherwise I wouldn't have to stoop to such levels," Yami said calmly. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something but Yami stepped on his head and ground his heel into his jaw. Maoko remained perfectly calm.  
  
_What were you trying to say human? Trade me the secrets to getting past her and I'll let you live...  
_  
_ Like hell I'm going to tell you. All I was going to say was you just made a really stupid mistake _Kakashi growled at him mentally. Yami's reply was to grind his heel again and snarl.  
  
$$$$$  
  
Yami frowned and mulled over his options. Although he was psychic, it was still beyond his ability to read anything that was not thought openly like in those boys' heads.  
'Damn it... this Bitch is too good for me at this point. Even if I kill her buddy here she'll be too strong and I'll lose the little leverage I have left,' he mused to himself, losing his focus on the woman who bothered him so profusely. His musing was interrupted by a cold voice that Yami recognized but at the same time was unfamiliar to him.  
"Get off of him," she said her face, eyes, and body totally relaxed and calm. Yami arched an eyebrow and sneered.  
"Who's gonna make me?" he jeered, crossing his arms. Yami nearly fainted when, for the first time since he had laid eyes on her she smiled... well, smirked, but they were close and neither had happened before.  
"I am," she said with a vicious curl of her lip. Yami suddenly felt very, very scared.  
"J-just a sec... how 'bout we make a deal? You let me get out of here and you can have your guy back and I won't kill anything for a week! I swear it on my mother's honor!" Yami stammered. Mentally he cursed himself for using the one swear that he couldn't break, but he knew that was probably the only thing that was going to get him out of here. Maoko arched an eyebrow and chuckled.  
"Fair enough," she said easily. Her eyes glinted dangerously though, letting him know that he WAS honor bound. Yami gulped and nodded nervously. Slowly he stepped off his captive and backed away to the edge of the clearing. A second later he was gone.  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
And on we go!! Down the yellow brick road!!  
  
-Lethal-chan


	5. Is this in the right order?

Warnings: Swearing, violence, slash, etc.  
  
Disclaimers: I wish Naruto were mine...  
  
'Blah' - thought 

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kakashi sat up and rubbed his neck, watching the black blur that was Yami tear off at top speed. Maoko watched for 1/2 a second then turned to him and kneeled in front of him.  
"He didn't do anything nasty to you, did he?" she asked, her eyes flickering over his face and resting on the bruise that was beginning to form just above his mask. Her fingers drifted out and she brushed the bruise gently.  
"I'm fine, you can relax," he assured her, his voice soothing. She studied him a moment longer and nodded.  
"Let's go check on those boys of yours then."  
  
Sakura helped Naruto into his bed and worriedly surveyed his wounds. It had taken them so long to get back to the village that Kakashi and the woman had managed to catch up with them, but the trip had been moved along much faster with their aide.  
"Excuse me," the woman said politely. Sakura stepped to one side so the woman could set her bowl of water down.  
"Hey! Whatcha doin'?" Naruto asked, trying to sit up. Without looking up the woman pushed him back down without touching any of his wounds.  
"I'm going to take care of your wounds of course. And both of you can quit calling me woman, my name is Maoko," she said coolly, again without looking up. She pulled out a white rag and began the process of cleaning Naruto up. Sakura watched and tried to figure when anybody had called her woman. Maoko rapped her head and dipped the cloth in the water.  
"I can read minds," she informed them, peeling off Naruto's jacket so she could get at the wounds beneath it better.  
  
!!!!!  
  
Several hours later Sakura, Maoko, Kakashi, and Iruka sat in the living room of the house they had 'borrowed' to keep the injured two in. The family that had been there was currently on vacation so the house was vacant.  
"Are they going to be ok?" Sakura asked quietly, her hands in her lap. She had been asked to leave the rooms after they had had to strip the boys down to their skivvies so they could take care of them. Maoko chuckled slightly and set down the tray of mugs she had brought in.  
"They're going to be fine. No matter how tough he thinks he is, Yami still isn't strong enough to kill humans, especially trained Shinobi," she said quietly, handing Sakura a mug of hot chocolate. Sakura nodded in thanks and let out a sigh of relief.  
"So what are we going to do about Yami?" Iruka asked, having gotten Kakashi to fill him in about what was going on. Maoko handed both him and Kakashi mugs of tea and sat down with her own.  
"No worries there for the next week, he swore on his mother's honor he would behave, so he has to," she explained calmly. Everyone gave her a blank look, making her sigh.  
"It is in The Demons' Code of Moral Conduct that any demon who swears on his mother's honor is duty bound to keep any promises made under that oath. Failure to do so results in said demon's loss of life or status and removal from the family usually. A removal from the family is an immediate loss of honor. Honor is very important to demons, unfortunately humans are very rarely involved in any of the codes, so they get picked on a lot.  
"Yami's family has the longest running honorific family. Going back on his word at this point in time would result in his instant death by his own family," Maoko explained quietly. Sakura and Iruka blinked and exchanged looks while Kakashi merely nodded in understanding.  
"How do you know that? Demons don't just let a human with that kind of information run around loose," Iruka pointed out. Maoko laughed and smiled.  
"I'll tell you should the need ever arise. For your own safety, I recommend that both you and Sakura keep your mouths shut," she explained calmly, sipping her tea and smiling politely at them. Sakura and Iruka exchanged looks then shrugged. Even if they had just met her, they could tell she would only share information that was necessary, nothing more and nothing less.  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
Wait! There's more!! So onwards!! 


	6. Let me know if the chapters don't flow

Warnings: Swearing, slash, near rape, violence, etc.  
  
Disclaimers: It's not mine cries in a corner  
  
'Blah' - thought 

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;  
Naruto looked around himself and rubbed his head. He realized he was not in the bed he had fallen asleep in. He appeared to be in a field of some sort... how odd...  
"Dobe-chan..." a soft, familiar voice said from behind him as two arms snaked around him, one around his waist, the other his shoulders.  
"D-don't call me that," Naruto snapped nervously, realizing something was definitely not right when he noticed who it was.  
"Think of it as a pet name..." Sasuke hissed in echo of the thought that Yami had placed in his head. Sasuke's fingers brushed over Naruto's stomach and abs, making Naruto shudder at the touch and note that he was wearing only boxers.  
"S-Sasuke..." Naruto whimpered, an unrecognizable fear invading his senses. Sasuke chuckled darkly in Naruto's ear and ran his tongue along the muscles of Naruto's throat while his fingers teased the edge of Naruto's waistband.  
"S-stop..." Naruto pleaded, wondering wildly what the hell was going on and how he was going to get out of this mess. Sasuke chuckled again and bit Naruto hard between in the crook of his neck and shoulder.  
"Wake up..."  
  
Naruto jerked up and looked around wildly, ignoring the pain that flashed through his body at the sudden movement. His gaze fell on Maoko, who had a worried look on her face.  
"Are you alright? You were whimpering..." she asked softly, touching his forehead to check for a fever. Naruto jerked back from her fingers and pulled the blankets around himself tightly. Maoko made no attempt to touch him again, apparently guessing somewhat what had been going on in his nightmare. She was silent for a moment as she gave him a slow once-over, giving him time to compose himself slightly.  
"Damn Yami..." she hissed, suddenly leaning forward so she could look at his neck. While she made no attempt to touch him, her sudden intrusion of his personal space did make him draw back. Maoko cursed under her breath and rocked back on her heels.  
"Naruto-sama, when you and Yami were fighting did he ever attack you there that you recall?" she asked him. Naruto blinked and thought about it for a moment.  
"Yeah..." he began hesitantly. Maoko held a hand up before he could say more and to his utter shock punched a hole in the wall.  
"I'm going out, I'll send... which would you rather prefer, Iruka- sama or Kakashi-sensei?" she asked through gritted teeth. Naruto remembered then that she could read minds, explaining her lack of questions.  
"Uh...Iruka-sensei..." he said quietly, mildly intimidated by the waves of fury that were flowing off of her. She nodded and turned and left without a word. A few moments later Iruka came in, a badly hidden distressed look on his face.  
"What's going on?" Naruto asked loudly, fighting down panic. Iruka shook his head and opened his mouth when a very loud curse echoed from Sasuke's room followed by a vibrantly detailed description of a certain demon's death peppered with an interesting array of colorful words in many different languages and dialects.  
"Goddamn little fucker better run fast..." Maoko snarled, storming past Naruto's room. Her exit was marked by a loud slamming of the door and the crash of something falling. Iruka was silent for a moment to make sure that all the interruptions were through.  
"I'm not totally sure Naruto. Kakashi-sensei says he'll explain once you and Sasuke are both up and dresses with clean bandages and the like."  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
Lovely, isn't it? On to the next chapter, then?  
  
-Lethal-chan


	7. I think I numbered them wrong

Warnings: Swearing, slash, violence, etc.  
  
Disclaimers: It's not mine! And I have no money anyways!! I just borrowed them!!  
  
'Blah' - thought 

"Yammer" - talking

_Chatter_- telepathy

symbolsymbolsymbolsymbolsymbol - switch of POV or scene

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
Kakashi watched Maoko suddenly storm out of Naruto's room and march right past him into Sasuke's room. Half-a-second later loud cursing and creative descriptions were shared as Maoko stormed out again. She turned to him and gave him a very dark look.  
"He bit them goddamn it," she snapped coldly. Kakashi blinked once or twice as what she said sunk in.  
"Shit... he didn't?!" Iruka exclaimed, lurching from his chair. Maoko growled low and nodded and walked to the door, muttering under her breath.  
"Goddamn little fucker better run fast... Oh, Iruka, go take care of Naruto, he's conscious and had a really bad dream to say the least," she said before opening the door and slamming it shut. A few moments later Sakura came in rubbing her eyes.  
"What's going on...?" she murmured, clutching a blanket over her shoulders. Kakashi smiled kindly at his tired student through his mask and rested a hand on her shoulder.  
"Go back to bed Sakura, we'll wake you if anything urgent happens," he said quietly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Iruka was going to take care of Naruto. He nodded in satisfaction when he saw Iruka disappear into the room. Turning back to Sakura he couldn't help but snicker to see she had fallen asleep on her feet.  
'Up all night worrying were you?' he thought, picking her up and carrying her back to her room. Once sure she was settled he poked his head into Naruto's room.  
"I'm going to go out for a bit, think you can handle these three all by yourself?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and hiding his concern (pretty easy for a guy who wears a mask don't you think?). Iruka nodded and Kakashi took off, wondering if he could find Maoko before her rage got the better of her and she ripped Yami's head off.  
  
#####  
  
Maoko stormed through the streets, her vision slowly becoming clouded as fury took over.  
"That little shit! How dare he do that to those two..." she snarled through gritted teeth, fighting to keep in control as she made her way as fast as she could away from the village and towards Yami's signature. Several yards into the forest an evil giggle interrupted a creative string of swearing.  
"I see you discovered what I did," Yami said calmly from his perch. Maoko temporarily fazed out as her rage took control.  
  
$$$$$  
  
"Maoko!" exclaimed a familiar voice, cutting through the crimson fog of rage. Maoko shook her head and looked around. Kakashi blinked at her a few times, bent slightly and panting. She looked up at Yami, who was sporting several shuriken wounds and a handful of nasty bruises. She blinked once or twice and looked back at Kakashi.  
"Hello," she said calmly, scrambling around inside her head to recover her pre-rage memories. Finally she remembered and turned back to Yami.  
"You are going to come with me," she said darkly, giving him a look that told him there would be no arguing.  
  
%%%%%  
  
Sasuke looked around himself and wondered why Naruto was staring at him like that. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was a dream, even if it had been a long time since he had had a dream with Naruto in it.  
"Ah, Sasuke-san..." Naruto purred, reaching out and running his hand along Sasuke's face. Sasuke inhaled slightly and drew back, making the dream Naruto smile. Slowly the orange-clad ninja advanced and rested his hands on Sasuke's hips. Sasuke swallowed nervously and tried to push dream- Naruto's hands off, but the other's grip was firm.  
"You know I make your heart pound and give you butterflies," Naruto purred, leaning forward and tracing Sasuke's jaw-line with his tongue. Sasuke swallowed again and squeezed his eyes shut.  
"Stop..." he breathed as Naruto's hands traveled up and wrapped around his neck, pushing his face down and catching him in an intently passionate kiss. Naruto refused though, toppling Sasuke over and straddling him. An evil light glinted in the dream character's blue eyes as he eyed Sasuke slowly, taking in every curve and sculpt of his narrow body.  
'Wake up...' Sasuke silently willed himself, closing his eyes tightly to shield himself from the sight of Naruto sliding one hand up his shirt...  
"Sasuke! Wake up!" a frantic voice said. Sasuke's groggy brain welcomed the intrusion as the dream faded away and a panicked looking Sakura slowly came into focus. She touched his forehead lightly as he closed his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath.  
"Are you alright?" Iruka asked, leaning over Sakura's shoulder and studying him. Sasuke nodded and threw an arm over his eyes.  
"How's Naruto?" he croaked, his throat dry. There was a moment of silence, during which fear welled-up from deep inside Sasuke and filled his chest.  
"Eh, I'm fine... you took the brunt of the attack," Naruto said from somewhere just out of Sasuke's vision, his voice edged with concern and if Sasuke was not mistaken, fear.  
"I had the most God-awful nightmare," Sasuke said, feeling Sakura's and Iruka's concerned gazes. "But I'll be alright, just let me sit for a little while, Naruto, can I talk to you alone for a bit?"  
"Yeah, sure," Naruto said. Iruka sighed and there was some shuffling.  
"Naruto, since you're recovering as well as you are, help Sasuke redo his bandages and clean his wounds," Iruka's order was followed by the soft click of the door shutting.  
"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto muttered under his breath.  
"Naruto, we need to talk."

Yami glared darkly at the back of the lavender-haired ninja in front of him. He wanted nothing more then to call on his powers and screw the guy over so bad mentally it would take Maoko-bitch a whole year to undo it, but he knew that at this point that was not a very good idea, plus, it broke his promise.  
"You screwed up big this time Yami. What exactly did you do to them? I know a bite there usually has something to do with mates, but it's been awhile since my last brushing up on demon ways," Maoko said from behind him. Yami sighed and pondered not telling her, knowing that it would probably earn him another beating.  
"How about an information exchange?" he said quietly. There was a long moment of silence that made the man in front of him glance back at them.  
"Fine," Maoko snapped coldly.  
  
&&&&&  
  
"Talk about what?" Naruto asked curiously, his heart thumping in his chest.  
"Even you aren't that stupid dobe, you had the same line of dream I did, and I think it has something to do with Yami biting us." Naruto couldn't fight it.  
"No, really?" he exclaimed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Sasuke sat up and glared at him.  
"Yes really. Tell me what happened in your dream. Not in detail, just the basics." Naruto flushed beet red and stared at his feet. Sasuke waited for a long moment in silence then sighed. He reached out a hand and touched Naruto's bare arm lightly.  
"Did I attempt to rape you?" he asked softly. Naruto bit his lip and nodded slowly, strange pain welling in his chest.  
"Did I..." he began, glancing at Sasuke out of the corner of his eyes as he sat down. Sasuke nodded solemnly, and the hurt in his chest got worse."Alright, you start if you wanna exchange," Maoko said coolly, yanking Kakashi out of his stunned state.  
"What in the hell are you? Even for a Shinobi you shouldn't be this freaking tough and you sure as hell shouldn't be able to undo 95% of my screw over work," Yami snapped, stopping and sitting on a stump suddenly. Maoko laughed dryly.  
"I'm a half-demon baka, couldn't you figure that out on your own?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Kakashi snickered, earning him a dark look from Yami.  
"Alright, my turn. What in the hell did you do to those two? And no smart-assed answers," Maoko asked, sitting down across from him. Kakashi sat behind her on a mossy stump.  
"There is a natural poison in my body that gives a person nightmares and weakness until they get together with their destined lover. Quite harmless actually," Yami said casually. Maoko and Kakashi exchanged surprised looks.  
"Oh dear..." Maoko said softly.  
  
!!!!!  
  
"Sorry..." Naruto said softly. Sasuke sighed and nudged his teammate lightly.  
"It's not your fault," he told him calmly, barely disguising the hurt in his chest. Naruto took a long, shuddering breath and looked Sasuke in the eyes. Sasuke blinked as an overwhelming urge overcame him...  
  
Naruto blinked when Sasuke suddenly leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. It startled him how soft Sasuke's lips were, but even more startling was that when Sasuke's lips touched his, all the pain in his chest went away.  
  
#####  
  
"Well... I suppose it's ok..."  
"What do you mean you 'suppose it's ok'?!" Kakashi asked in alarm. Maoko was quiet for a moment as she thought about it.  
"Correct me if I'm wrong... but the boys are hopelessly in love, even if they don't know it," Maoko said softly, twisting slightly to look at him. Kakashi blinked at her in stunned silence.  
"Well, sure, I guess so..."  
"So I suppose it's ok than, right?"  
  
menoryutsuki  
  
There, my lovely last chapter. This one is fairly long too. If you want me to come up with more, make suggestions and review and all that good stuff, okies? I accept anonymous reviews too, just because I love hearing opinions so much!!  
  
-Lethal-chan 


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